Steps on Stone
by TheAmethystRiddle
Summary: Lin and Korra begin to find that their lives are intersecting more and more often... Linorra.
1. Chapter 1

Korra was running, running, trying to drown out her thoughts with the sound of her footsteps pounding the pavement, flinging water droplets from clothes soaked by a swim from Air Temple Island as she careened down the brightly lit street. There was no darkness anywhere in Republic City, at least not that she could find. No darkness, no silence, no peace. Well-dressed passerby shouted things (rude things, she was sure) she could not hear as she did her best to weave through the crowds. It was over, Amon was gone, there was no reason for this restlessness, no reason for her to fear Air Temple Island and no reason to fear sleep. She was sure the nightmares would not come back. Would they?

She was watching her feet and not her way as she rounded a corner at random and slammed headfirst into a police officer's metal uniform. The impact nearly knocked her unconscious and she collapsed onto hands and knees. A rough hand picked her up and she found herself looking woozily into the eyes of an older male police officer. He frowned at her, and the frown reminded her rather violently (all of her thoughts had become violent lately, all sparring stances and metalbending wrenching her awake) of Tenzin. She grinned, the lopsided smile she'd become known for in her bashful victory photos after Amon's demise. The officer, however, apparently did not read the papers (he probably could not read at all, Korra thought, and snorted) and spun her around to handcuff her with a clunk.

"You can't be running that fast and not be in trouble," he said, as he began to march her down the street, presumably to a vehicle or the police station, Korra wasn't sure which.

"No, it's okay, I'm the Avatar," she said, her words a little slurred. The officer simply shook his head and said nothing.

To Korra's surprise, the police force's main headquarters were a short walk away from where she had ended up. As the officer walked her through the front doors of the large building, Korra saw Lin walking toward them, looking as if she was headed home for the night. She shrank away and turned her face toward the shadows, but Lin had already seen her and had picked up her step to intercept the two in the lobby.

"Biran, why exactly have you taken the Avatar into custody?"

The officer looked utterly dumbfounded, barely managing to choke out, "Sh- she really is…?" before Lin had taken Korra by the wrists and unlocked the cuffs. The older woman handed the handcuffs back to Biran and smirked slightly at his still shocked expression.

"I won't tell if you won't," she said, and the officer snapped to attention quickly, hustling outside and back in the direction he and Korra had come. Korra tried not to sigh in relief – she hadn't been too excited about sleeping in a jail cell – and instead turned a suspicious eye on Lin.

"Why did you rescue me?" she asked, actually a bit angry once she began to think about it. This time it was Lin's turn to look confused.

"I'm not sure I understand. I suppose I assumed you'd rather not stay in jail for the night? Unless you actually committed a crime and wish to be punished, in which case I can escort you through the prosecution process myself." Lin pulled out her own pair of handcuffs and reached for Korra's arm.

Korra's stomach jumped and she flinched back, not certain what she was feeling or why it unnerved her.

"I didn't think so," Lin said, and put the cuffs away. Korra relaxed slightly but kept her distance as Lin turned and strode out the door and down the street, leaving Korra to stand in front of the station looking confused. At the intersection that framed the station Lin turned around and walked backwards long enough to shout, "Are you coming or not?"

Korra jogged down the sidewalk to catch up and match her stride with Lin's. When Lin did not speak for several minutes, Korra broke the silence to ask, "Where are we going?"

"My apartment," was Lin's reply. Korra blinked. Lin looked over, caught her eye, and recognized the cue to explain. "You wouldn't be wandering around the streets at this hour if you had a place to stay. I have an extra mattress."

Korra looked down at her feet, suddenly overwhelmingly thankful for Lin's no-nonsense, no-questions attitude. They walked the rest of the way in silence, the sounds of the city the only noise between them.

Lin's apartment was ground-level, the floors dirt and the furniture and appliances largely unpurified metal. Korra looked around as they entered, wondering at the strange décor. Most of the Republic City buildings she had seen were wood on the inside, or carpeted if you were wealthy.

"My entire house is a weapon," Lin said as she led Korra to the spare room, "except the walls and ceiling, generally. There are floors above this one." She opened a door at the end of a hall and gestured inside. The room was utterly Spartan, containing nothing but a mattress dressed in plain sheets, a chair in the corner, and a small closet whose doors lay open, baring the empty insides. "Bathroom is this room right here," she added, pointing, "but you can probably find it with your waterbending or something." Lin ended her explanation by nodding at Korra rather curtly and walking away down the hall, around the corner, and (Korra used her earthbending to sense the contours of the apartment) into another room on the other side of the flat. Korra wasn't sure what she had expected, but the sinking feeling (once again in her stomach, that blasted organ) she experienced as Lin walked away told her that this wasn't it. With a small sigh, she walked into the room and closed the door behind her.

There was a small window just above the mattress. Through the window shined the relentless yellow rays of a streetlight, dyeing the room a sickly color and dashing Korra's hopes for sleep. She curled up on the mattress despite this and closed her eyes against the glare. She had dried off by now but was still chilled, and she pulled the blankets closer around her. Naga was not here to snuggle up to, and Korra doubted Lin would be very happy if she lit the mattress on fire to keep warm. She tossed and turned, first unable to close her eyes, then unable to feel her toes, curling up completely hidden under the covers and then stretching out over the entire mattress. Finally she got up, wandering down the hall and into the rest of the house. It was warmer and darker here, and she padded as silently as she could to the large, plush sofa and sat down. The surface of it was cool but the air around her was warm, and she felt her body relaxing. However, her mind continued to race, running through the worst parts of her nightmare over and over again.

She lay down on the sofa and closed her eyes tightly, then sat up and lay down in the other direction. She rolled over, rolled over again, sat up, lay back down. Finally she stood, staring around at the grey, haunting shapes of the furniture in the darkness. She sighed and resigned herself to a long, sleepless night in Lin's guest room, turned back toward the hall to go to bed, jumped and suppressed a shriek of terror before she realized that the looming figure entering the room was Lin, her hair and underclothes mussed from sleep. Lin blinked several times as if suddenly staring into a bright light, then navigated the room perfectly and sat down on the couch, patting the spot where Korra had just been sitting. Korra did not sit.

"Having trouble sleeping?" Lin asked simply, and Korra replied with only a nod. She did not want to talk about this now, did not want to admit to Lin her weakness. There was silence, and Lin seemed to understand. "Perhaps we'll talk about it in the morning? I'll make breakfast." Korra nodded again, but this one held no conviction. Lin nodded in reply and stood as Korra sighed inwardly and made for the hall that led to her room. As she reached the entrance she heard Lin say from behind her, "Aren't you coming?"

Korra turned, surprised, and was met with Lin's outstretched hand and small smile. Korra took the offered hand without even thinking, her fingers pressing comfortably against Lin's palm.

"Where?" she asked, her voice hoarse.

"My room is much more comfortable than the guest room. I'm sure we can find you a place."

Korra did her very best not to smile as widely as she wanted to, following Lin into the pitch darkness of her bedroom. Though she could see nothing, she felt Lin take her by the shoulders and pull her forward, Korra taking cautious steps until Lin's hands stopped her. She heard Lin sit down in the dark, felt Lin's hands slide down her arms to take her by the wrists, felt, for a heartbeat, Lin's thighs pressing against hers, Korra's heart running wild for a reason she could not understand but was sure must be the fear of another person in the dark, and then was pulled, down and forward, tumbling onto her hands and knees onto a mattress she could not see. She crawled under the covers, her eyes falling shut almost immediately. She was barely awake enough to return Lin's whispered goodnight, was already asleep by the time Lin wrapped a protective arm around her. Korra slept soundly for the first time in weeks.


	2. Chapter 2

**I was going to wait a bit longer to publish this chapter, but since people are asking I'll put it up now. I have four chapters written and I plan to write many, many more, so don't worry about that, haha. Still searching for a title.**

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Korra did not wake until Lin stirred beside her. She lay in the older woman's arms, her face hidden in the crook of Lin's neck. It was Lin's heartbeat that roused her; as Lin awoke the beats became more frequent, quickening to a rush of thumps accompanied by ragged breathing ruffling her hair. Korra was still drowsy and kept her eyes closed, pretending to be asleep. Lin calmed slowly, and Korra felt her own muscles relax, realizing as they did so that she had tensed up along with Lin. They lay together like that for several minutes, and then with a sigh Lin rose. Korra hid her face from the onrush of light and whined into Lin's pillow, reaching out a hand to her. Lin took the hand gently and climbed back into bed, tucking Korra's hair behind her ear and stroking her cheek with one finger as the girl slowly became used to the light. When Korra had finally come completely out of hiding, Lin got up again and made for the door.

"Come on, you," she said, beckoning. "Get up."

With a groan, Korra complied, getting out of bed reluctantly and following Lin into the kitchen. Korra sat down at the small table and Lin began to pull things out of the icebox – eggs, bacon, butter, milk. Korra watched with fascination as Lin set a pan on the stove and began expertly to fry the foods she had chosen. Before long she set a full plate in front of Korra, who began excitedly to devour the meal. When Korra reached the bacon she exclaimed with delight and shoveled it even more quickly into her mouth. Lin raised an eyebrow at her, and Korra chewed quickly and swallowed so she could respond.

"They don't let us have meat on Air Temple Island."

Lin turned back to the frying pan, shaking her head, and Korra could have sworn she heard Lin mutter, "Airbenders." Louder, Lin said, "I'll make extra."

Though breakfast was supposed to be quick – Korra had airbending lessons back on the island and Lin had her many duties as police chief to attend to – the two became absorbed in a discussion of metalbending techniques and how they differed from traditional earthbending. They talked excitedly for over an hour, and by the time they had finished and were rising from the table, Lin had promised to clear a spot in her schedule as soon as possible so she could teach Korra metalbending.

Lin collected their plates and took them to the sink, glancing at the clock as she did so. "Damn," she hissed, and began to move more quickly.

"Here, I'll get those," Korra said, joining Lin at the sink.

Lin pulled away. "No, you're my guest. I'm not going to make you-"

"Lin, I'm a waterbender, this'll be easy for me. Besides, it's the least I can do after you let me stay here last night. Go get dressed."

Lin hesitated, then nodded and headed for her room. Korra did the dishes quickly and dried them off with her airbending. As she was putting on her boots Lin emerged from her room fully dressed.

"Ready?" Lin asked, and Korra finished lacing up her boot and nodded.

Lin motioned for Korra to follow her out the door with a jerk of her head, shut the door behind them, and set off down the street. Korra looked from Lin to the door and back again, then quickwalked to catch up.

"Aren't you worried about people breaking in?" she asked.

"The only person who has ever been able to get through that door without my permission was my mother, and an earthbender of her caliber has yet to exist since her death." Lin's jaw was tight, and Korra looked down, her face flushed with embarrassment.

Trying to make amends, she said to her feet, "I think you're pretty impressive." Lin's face relaxed, and she even smiled a small smile.

"That's because you never got to see my mother bend. It was... quite an experience."

Korra smiled back. "I always wanted to, ever since I was little. Besides water, earth is my favorite element." Lin nodded in approval.

"I'll show you some of my mother's techniques during our metalbending lessons, how about that?"

Korra's face broke into a grin, and she nodded excitedly. Lin smiled in response and they walked the rest of the way to the police station in an amicable silence. At the station they parted ways, Lin going to her work and Korra walking back to the docks through a city with which she was slowly becoming more familiar. She heard the clock at city hall ring out the hour as she neared the pier, and she picked up her step. She was going to be very, very late for morning practice. The ferry was at the dock when she arrived, so she hopped on rather than swimming across the channel. The sharp sea air felt fantastic after the fumes of the city, and she stood on the deck rail and leaned out over the water with her arms outstretched. To her surprise, Tenzin was standing on the island's dock when the ferry arrived. She disembarked, bracing for one of his angry lectures about her duties as the Avatar, but instead he smiled slightly at her.

"I'm very pleased to hear that Lin is finally beginning your metalbending lessons. It's a very important skill in this day and age, and I was worried she would never get around to it. However," and here he frowned, "I do wish she would pick a more convenient time for it. Impromptu lessons in the middle of the night are a little on the strange side."

"She said she was going to try to clear out her schedule some," Korra said, silently thanking Lin for her quick and clever thinking.

"Hm. Well," was Tenzin's reply as he turned and walked toward the temple.

They had the airbending lesson late that day, as Tenzin had waited to start until Korra's arrival. Though she had finally gained the ability to manipulate air, it was still difficult for her to do, and she was surprised when Pema called them all in for lunch. They sat down around the table, said a quick prayer to the spirits for granting them this meal, and then everyone dug in with gusto. Korra and Bolin had a spirited chopstick fight over who got the last cabbage roll as Mako and Asami – who were finally friendly again, at Korra's insistence – made faces at Meelo and Ikki across the table, trying to see who could make the two young airbenders laugh the hardest.

"Oh, Korra, a wire came for you," Pema said, her voice cutting through the din as if she possessed some strange power. "Lin says you should head down to police headquarters as soon as you're done with lunch for your metalbending lesson."

Korra's heart leapt, and she leapt with it, nearly banging her knees on the edge of the table.

"Hey, what about practice?" Bolin asked, putting his hands on his hips and doing his best to look angry.

"I'm sorry, guys. I'll make it up tomorrow?" Korra felt bad, but certainly not bad enough to cancel her lesson with Lin.

"Well, alright," Bolin said, dropping the mock-angry look and climbing to his feet. "We should probably get going, big bro. Asami, wanna come?"

"Sure!" she replied, and she and Mako rose as well.

"You owe us lunch for this," Bolin said, pointing a finger at Korra as they headed to the door. "You riding the ferry over with us?"

The ride over was fun – they talked and laughed and it all reminded Korra just how much she loved her friends. Still, as soon as they were out of sight in the direction of the bending arena, she set off at a run toward police central station, her heart fluttering in her chest and her face stuck in a giddy grin. The fact that she could not quite pinpoint the source of her happiness did nothing to diminish it.

She had managed to calm down some by the time she reached the police station and was certainly glad for this when she saw Lin sitting outside, eating a sandwich and tossing crumbs to the birds. She slid onto the bench beside the older woman and smiled at her, feeling something twinge in her stomach when Lin smiled back.

Lin ate the last bite of her sandwich, brushed off her lap, and stood. "Well?" she said, looking at Korra.

"Let's go!" Korra jumped up, and for a beat she was breathlessly close to Lin's face, close enough that she could see the pupils of Lin's eyes dilate suddenly, close enough to see the curve of Lin's cheekbone and the wet of the inside of her mouth.

Then Lin turned and walked away, Korra's breath resumed, and her heart made a strange motion toward her feet. Korra ignored it and kicked at a pigeon-duck that was pecking at the crumbs Lin had left.

"Well, come on," Lin shouted without even looking back, and Korra ran after her, toward her first metalbending lesson.


	3. Chapter 3

The police gymnasium was huge, its size made even more impressive by the high ceilings and large windows. The floor was bare earth, and weights and stone discs littered the areas near the walls. In the middle of the room was a large sparring circle, the paint faded and scattered by the many matches fought on it. The gym was almost entirely empty at this hour, save for a lone woman at the bench press and a male companion spotting her. Lin led Korra to the center of the room and motioned for her to wait there. She disappeared for a few minutes into a large storage closet, emerging with a fist-sized chunk of crude metal. She set it in front of Korra and stepped back.

"Match my stance," she said.

Korra did her best, but the position was odd, similar to a traditional earthbending stance but giving her much less contact with the ground and splaying her hands and feet at odd angles.

"You're doing it wrong," Lin said simply, and moved around Korra to stand behind her. She put a casual hand on Korra's stomach, and Korra could feel each of her fingers through the fabric of her shirt. Lin straightened Korra's back and then pressed close to Korra so she could feel the shape of Lin's stance.

"Your arms should go here and here," Lin said, holding up her own arms so Korra could see. "Match yours up with mine." Korra did as she was told, moving her hands to line up with Lin's. "And widen your stance." Lin put a hand on the inside of Korra's knee, pushing her legs farther open. Korra could feel Lin's thighs against hers, Lin's chest against her back. She couldn't help but notice how well they matched together; Korra was the perfect size to fit against Lin like this, the hollows and curves of their bodies matching almost exactly. "Get farther up on your toes – there you go." Lin's voice cut through Korra's daze, and she obeyed automatically.

Finally Lin approved of the stance, stepping away from Korra and returning to her place in front of her. "Now find the metal," she said.

Rather than reply with a sassy remark and risk her chance at these lessons, Korra closed her eyes and felt the earth on her feet, reached through it in search of the metal. Though she knew it was there, according to the heightened senses granted her by the earthbending, the chunk was nowhere to be found. She retreated into her body, confused.

"I can't find it," she said.

Lin nodded. "This first step is one of the most difficult. The earth is there, but the metal hides it. Here – find me first."

Korra closed her eyes again, taking deep breaths and reaching out through the earth. There was Lin, solid and steady as a rock. Her feet pressed against the ground, up to her muscled legs, further to her hips and then her waist, up her chest and over her shoulders out to her fingers, back up to her head, Korra's senses so sharpened that she could feel the contours of Lin's face. And all around her, the metal armor.

"Now find the earth in the iron the same way you found me." Lin's voice was soft and close, enough to reach Korra without breaking her concentration. Reluctantly she pulled away from her examination of Lin's body and searched again for the metal.

This time she found it, a tentative shape above the earth, its impurities scattered like stars across her senses. There were tiny amounts of earth in it, and she reached desperately for the few nearest to the ground. She managed to grab ahold of one of them, trying in vain to raise the hunk of metal by the one tiny grain of dirt. Frustrated, she strained to latch onto others, catching one, then two, and finally a whole group of them near each other. Holding on with all her might, she lifted those few earthen islands and –

Her concentration shattered as the metal skittered slightly in a circle. She almost lost her balance, just catching herself and resuming her stance. Lin shook her head.

"You're trying too hard. Don't reach for it; call to it. All earth wants to rejoin its mother – use her voice and call it in the direction you will."

Korra nodded and closed her eyes again, reaching into the earth and toward the metal. She had lost it again, and had to search for several minutes to locate it. She was so focused on finding the iron that she didn't notice Lin had moved behind her until the older woman pressed her body against Korra's again, touching her fingers to Korra's temples.

"Don't reach. _Call._" Lin's voice was firm and quiet in Korra's ear, and Korra took a deep breath to calm herself and tried again. This time she did not try to stretch herself out of her body, instead concentrating on the earth just underneath her and the way it felt under her feet. Between breaths she began to hear a song, a sound coming from below. She felt herself slipping out of her body, leaking comfortably away from Lin's fingers and out through the soles of her feet. The earth was warm around her as she spread through it slowly. She could feel the weights and stones on her back, could trace the dirt down to the bedrock, the foundation of the headquarters sinking deeper into her skin, toward her core. She pulled herself in, focusing her senses on the area around the sparring circle. She could feel both her and Lin's bodies, not slowly, as when she had been herself and in the earth, but instantly, as the earth itself felt every footfall.

Finding the chunk of iron was painful. The calls of her sons and daughters, of the parted pieces of herself rang in her ears, cut into her skin. She called back, feeling every one of them vibrate with joy as her voice reached them. She lifted up, up, the metal rising two inches, then three, trembling at four, and at five she lost them, lost her children, and Korra was sucked back into her body as the earth keened. Even as her knees folded beneath her, Lin scooped her up into her arms, holding the young avatar close. Though she barely smiled, her eyes shone.

"Excellent work, Korra. I've never had a student learn so quickly."

Korra smiled back weakly, then sank against Lin's chest, her eyes fluttering closed. "Sorry I didn't last very long. I can try again soon," she mumbled. Lin smiled and shook her head.

"You were out for almost three hours. The earth doesn't experience time the same way humans do."

Korra looked up at the older woman in surprise and glanced around at the gym, looking for confirmation. It certainly looked as if time had passed; the light from outside was turning orange and sinking down past the windows, and the room was now entirely empty.

"Korra," Lin said, and the girl looked back at her. "That's something you need to be very careful of. What seems like only a few minutes can turn out to be as long as several days. I've almost lost students who forgot themselves in the earth. Promise me you'll never do this without someone to watch you and keep you safe."

Korra nodded. "I promise."

Lin walked them into the locker room, shouldering the door open casually, as if Korra weighed nothing at all. Near the back of the large, tiled room were gender-segregated showers; Lin carried Korra into the women's one and set her down on a long bench that spanned the center of the room. It was then that Korra realized two things: one, that she was soaked with sweat, and two, that she was completely incapable of supporting her own body. Lin had to catch her before she slid off the bench and onto the floor.

"Ah, sorry," she said, slumping against Lin's arm. "Just give me a minute."

Lin's normally stoic face creased into an expression of worry. "I think we should get you back to Air Temple Island. Tenzin will know what to do with you." Korra mumbled in protest but did not have the strength to really argue as Lin picked her back up. They set out through the city, Lin refusing to call a cab and instead insisting on personally carrying Korra all the way home. Though Korra objected at first, she was fast asleep before they were even halfway to the docks and did not wake up until the ferry docked with a thump at the island. Korra managed to stand with Lin's support, leaning heavily on the chief's shoulder as they walked up the slope to the temple.

It was a long walk up to the kitchen, where they found Pema bouncing the baby on her knee and stirring a boiling pot. She jumped up when they staggered in, but Lin waved her away.

"Where's Korra's room? I'll take her there and then I can explain things to Tenzin." Pema led them down the hall to Korra's bedroom, opening the sliding door and watching worriedly as Lin pulled off Korra's boots, lifted her into bed, and pulled the covers over her.

Korra slipped in and out of sleep, the low rumble of voices outside her door becoming idling cars and earthquakes in her dreams. Finally the voices stopped and she slept soundly and peacefully – but not for long. The nightmares came back that night.


	4. Chapter 4

**Whoops doesn't even begin to cover it, folks. Unfortunately, updates will continue to be AWFUL with this fic. Not only have I hit a rough spot writing-wise, my life is a huge mess right now. I'll do my best to keep writing and updating because I'm as excited about this fic as you are, but no promises. :C Anyway, here's four and five is soon to follow. No word yet on six, and let's not even think about beyond that.**

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_Her breath came in strained gasps. She was unable to run; her feet dragged as if she was slogging through mud. Bolin was drowning in front of her, just out of reach, begging her for help. But she could not reach him and could not bend, could not save him as the water smothered his screams. Mako's scarf hung from a tree branch, its owner nowhere to be found. Asami's car lay in a twisted heap, smashed against a cliff face. In the distance Korra could hear the sound of fighting, and she struggled against the invisible force toward the clashes and yells._

_Tenzin and Lin stood back to back, fighting off a seething mass of Equalists. As Korra stumbled toward them Tenzin fell, his body disappearing into the earth and leaving Lin's back exposed. Korra did her best to fight through the Equalists to reach Lin, but many arms and legs reached out to grab her, holding her back. Lin saw her capture and leapt toward Korra with a yell, but before Korra could warn her away a gloved hand shot out and slammed into Lin's throat, gripping her by the neck as her body spasmed, electricity crackling around her. Korra searched the crowd for Lin's attacker, but-_

Korra woke with a yelp, scrambling out of bed and to the window. Naga grunted in complaint as Korra threw it open and let the brisk night air in to nip at her skin. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths in the pattern Tenzin had taught her, forcing down fear and sobs until she began to hiccup uncontrollably and her tears broke through. Her legs gave way, and this time there was no Lin to catch her. As she slid to the floor, she cracked her forehead against the windowsill and had to press a hand against her mouth to stifle her cry of pain. Naga whined and crawled over to her. Korra sobbed into her best friend's fur, clutching her head and cursing angrily at herself through clenched teeth.

She lay there until the pain subsided, though the childish desire to be rescued still remained. She climbed back into bed only to find it soaked with sweat, and she scrambled back onto the floor to curl up once again by Naga's side. The wooden floor did not make for a comfortable place to sleep, and it was quite a while before Korra fell into a restless slumber.

Dawn broke without further incident, and Korra was roused as usual by the sounds of the stirring temple. Morning meditation blurred into breakfast, which slipped into sparring practice with Asami and the rest of the Fire Ferrets. Korra was distracted by the memories of her night and lost several matches in a row to Asami, against whom she was usually evenly matched. She quit practice early and headed toward her room, intending to nap until her metalbending lesson with Lin that afternoon. However, she was stopped on one of the covered walkways by a messenger, who bowed and handed her an intricately folded piece of paper. As the man jogged off, Korra opened the note and read the neat handwriting inside.

_Change of schedule. Budget meeting moved to this afternoon, will have to postpone lesson. 8 pm instead of 2 pm, at gym. Checked with Tenzin, you'll stay night w/ me. Sorry for shortness, running late._

_Ta,_

_Lin_

"What're you so happy about?"

Korra looked up to find Bolin grinning lopsidedly as he strolled toward her, a towel hanging around his neck and his shirt dark with sweat. It was only then that Korra realized that she was smiling broadly, and she quickly tried to hide the smile.

"It's nothing," she said, but she re-folded the note very carefully and slid it into the small pocket sewed into her furs that she reserved for special items.

"Oh, okay," Bolin said. "I just wanted to check on you because you seemed distracted at practice. Everything okay?"

"Oh, yeah. I just didn't get enough sleep last night, so I wasn't exactly at the top of my game today." Korra felt bad lying to Bolin, but her dreams were not something she wanted to share with him. "I was actually going to go take a nap right now."

"Okay, then!" Bolin smiled, waving and turning to walk back in the direction he had come. "I'll leave you to it, then!"

"I'll see you at this afternoon's practice!" Korra called after him, and they both walked backwards so they could wave and giggle at each other until Korra had to round a corner and lost sight of him.

Though she was still exhausted, Korra found herself in a much better mood than she had been earlier. She was very glad to have Bolin as a friend, she thought as she undressed in preparation for her nap. She pulled Lin's note out of her pocket and placed it almost ceremoniously on the nightstand beside her bed, then curled up under the covers in just her wraps, pulling the sheets up to her chin and sighing contentedly.

But she could not sleep. The shadows slid across the walls as she tossed and turned, her thoughts whipped into a whirlwind by worries too misty to put a finger on. She picked up Lin's note and reread it several times, hoping to clear her mind. She had no trouble imagining Lin's voice, steady and surprisingly gentle, no trouble imagining Lin's face, her stern frame resting behind a desk but her eyes warm with welcome. She had no trouble imagining Lin's arms around her, no trouble remembering how it felt to sleep in Lin's embrace.

Korra fell asleep with the note clutched to her chest.

The noon bell woke her from her slumber, and she was dismayed to find that Lin's note had crumpled in her embrace. She smoothed it out on the nightstand and refolded it carefully as she put her clothes back on, then hopped to the kitchen with one boot half off. She still got to the table late, and she grinned sheepishly at Tenzin in the hopes that he would make an exception to his "no lunch for the late" rule. He looked pointedly in the other direction, and she sighed in relief as the bowls of rice and vegetables were passed around.

The meal made her even more excited about her evening with Lin, as she was hoping that she would once again get to eat some real meat. Her mouth watered at the thought of some nicely fried turkey-pig bacon, or a seared duckfish. She ate her meal with decidedly less abandon than usual, unable to convince herself that the cabbage, however crisp, was anything resembling a good hunk of meat.

The afternoon passed quickly; practice went much better than in the morning, and Korra found herself refreshed and raring to go by the time evening rolled around. Despite Tenzin's protestations, she decided to take the ferry over to the mainland an hour early, so she could take her time walking through the city. She spent the ride over imagining scenarios in which she met Lin by chance as she was walking downtown, and perhaps they went for dumplings or sat in the park and talked. Anything would be better than standing on her toes for three hours straight. Her legs still ached.

Upon disembarking Korra was stunned to find Lin waiting for her, leaning against a stack of crates and tapping her foot. As she walked up she opened her mouth to ask what was going on, but Lin cut her off.

"Tenzin," was all she said as she stood. Korra sighed and rolled her eyes. He had probably sent a telegram to police headquarters. "He should know by now you're not a child." Lin added. Korra cringed a bit, but Lin didn't seem to be impatient or irritated by the fact that she'd been recruited to escort Korra through the city. "Shall we?" she asked, gesturing toward the city. Korra nodded.


	5. Chapter 5

**Remember when I said five was soon to follow? ahahahahaha oh man, guys, I'm really sorry.**

**On a better note, new title! Infinite thanks to Steve (a lovely guest reviewer) for the inspiration.**

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Metalbending lessons went well, though Korra had honestly made little progress. She was at least going about it in the right way, but the task seemed all the more difficult for it. Her muscles, unused to holding the strange stance, ached insistently after the first hour, dragging her out of the earth and away from the metal more than once. However, Lin still patted her on the back proudly when they were done.

"At this stage, it only gets harder once you know what you're doing. You're holding up well."

Even the small compliment made Korra blush, and she kept her eyes trained on her feet as they made their way back to the showers. They had sparred today, and Lin had shown Korra more of the stances and movements used in metalbending. They were both ready for a hot shower and a good night's rest.

When they reached the locker room, Lin began to strip down, much to Korra's surprise.

"Well, come on," Lin said, when Korra did not follow suit. "The sooner we finish up here, the sooner we get to go home." Lin was already naked by this time, and Korra did her best not to look at Lin's body as she undressed as well. The shower came on with a hiss, the hot water a relief to Korra's sore muscles. She kept her body turned away from Lin, too nervous to do more than glace occasionally over her shoulder. Lin didn't seem bothered by the situation, standing with her eyes closed and her face turned up toward the spray. She massaged her muscles methodically, and Korra couldn't help but follow the lines of Lin's shoulders, her thighs, her hips her waist her breasts and suddenly Korra was dizzy, her breath ragged, her belly burning with something Korra couldn't name but knew meant that she wanted her hands on Lin's body, wanted Lin's hands on her own.

She shook her head with a quick jerk, as if to shake the thoughts out of her mind. She felt dirty but exhilarated. She couldn't think about this now, not with Lin so close and wet and warm and naked. Korra's breath caught as she was suddenly presented with the thought of what it would be like to be pressed up against one of these slick walls by Lin.

Korra yanked the ties out of her hair and massaged soap into her scalp furiously, doing her best to banish any inappropriate thoughts from her mind. She let the soap scrub her mind blank, sighing as the warmth of the water sunk into her sore body. Closed eyes lent her the calm she needed, and she soon almost forgot that Lin was there with her. That is, until a finger tapping her shoulder jerked her out of her reverie. She turned without thinking, then jumped back and tried to cover her body with her arms.

"Wha- Lin!" Lin blinked, confused. Korra gestured speechlessly, hunched over to shield herself from Lin's eyes. Korra saw Lin's eyebrows raise slowly as it dawned on her, and she blushed in embarrassment as a small smile quirked the corner of Lin's mouth. With a barely noticeable sigh, Lin turned her back.

"Sorry. I didn't realize this was your first time using a communal shower. I just wanted to ask if you were done with the soap."

Korra handed Lin the soap over her shoulder without a word, feeling childish and ashamed. Now she looked like an idiot, and in front of Lin of all people. She couldn't stand to be here next to Lin anymore. Finding her way via the tiled floor, Korra padded to the bench where her clothes lay, shucking droplets of water like shed skin as she went. She dressed in the heat of shame, fumbling as she did her wraps, stumbling as she stepped into her pants. She didn't even bother to put on her boots, grabbing them along with her furs and escaping from the steam out into the evening air.

The sun was setting behind the cityscape, but the heat of it still lingered in the stone under Korra's feet. She sat on a low brick wall outside the police station and bent the water from her hair, twisting it carefully back into the ties. She stood to tie her furs around her waist, feeling the rough of the cobbles under her weight again. She could feel the city through the stone, could feel it in a way that she would never be able to see it or hear it. It was at once terrifying and comforting; terrifying in its largeness and loudness but comforting in its solidity, its reality. She closed her eyes and gripped the stone with her toes, letting herself seep comfortably out through the soles of her feet. It was not as complete a surrender as required for metalbending, but it still gave her a heightened sense of the earth and, more importantly in this moment, drew her into the earth's calm.

She felt her body slowing and cooling, her heartbeat steady as if in sleep. She did not have to draw her focus as she normally did in earthbending; each vibration simply _was_ and she felt it in its entirety. It was calming, yet she could suddenly feel the earth itself shifting and rocking beneath her skin. She realized in a slow rumble that perhaps this was what Tenzin meant for her to do when he asked her to meditate.

She allowed herself to dwell on Lin's footsteps before pulling away from the earth and opening her eyes. To her surprise, she was met not with Lin's face, but an icepop held in Lin's outstretched hand.

"There was a vendor at the corner," she said simply. Korra took the icepop gently, as it was already beginning to melt, and Lin immediately set off in the direction of her apartment. Korra followed at a distance, but found after a few minutes that the two of them were slowly drawing closer. She couldn't help but smile as she watched Lin's drawn-out strides and realized she was doing it on purpose. Korra quickened her step and soon they were side-by-side again, their footsteps adjusting to each other until they matched. They walked in silence, and every time Korra looked over at Lin she was looking away. Finally Lin split the tension with a sigh.

"I'm sorry about that. I didn't even think. All my other students have been police force, so there was never an issue. We have individual showers – next time we can use those."

"No, I-I-" but Korra couldn't muster a protest and had to settle on a quiet, "Thank you."

The sky was darkening as they rounded the corner near Lin's apartment. Summer meant late sunsets and later curfews, dinner in the evenings and clubbing until early in the morning. Streetlamps were slowly flickering on, and Korra stared down the lamp across the street with a scowl as Lin unlocked her door. Inside was cool and dark as Lin went around the house and lit the gas lamps. The warm, red light accompanied Korra as she wandered into the kitchen, where Lin joined her shortly.

"Dinner?" Lin asked simply, and Korra nodded sleepily as Lin began banging about the cupboard. The sounds of Lin's preparations faded in and out as Korra's vision blurred, the table suddenly leaping towards her face as if possessed. Korra only heard a thump and felt a dull pain in her temple before her eyes drifted closed, her last sensation Lin's voice reaching after her into the darkness.


End file.
